나말레 리조트 & 스파

This is not the Four Seasons, but it offers good value for money in a gorgeous setting with many facilities. Infrastructure 5/5 - Impressive beach front villas - Quality furniture all around - Nice gym, impressive spa, crazy play room - Large resort with plenty of small private places to dine/relax/propose... - A stone throw from the Savusavu Airport Service 3/5 - Housekeeping visits inconsistent - Restaurant staff unequal, some nice, some almost rude - Room service hands you the tray of wrapped plates, etc, for you to arrange, and forgets items. - Spa staff seems to be annoyed by visitors requests - Golf carts rarely come Food 3/5 - Restaurant is set menu (that you apparently cannot get in room service, which is essentially American bar food) - Uninspiring menus not well executed - All inclusive is good, but alcohol is all very low shelf

The biggest downside of Namale is there is no swimmable beach whatsoever. There is a small grassy area with several lounge chairs & a hammock, but there is no sand, just craggy rocks and dead coral which prevents you from getting in the water. At low tide we were able to wade in up to our ankles and during the guided reef walk there was nothing to see because the reef is dead and there is very, very little sea life in evidence. Because divers had reserved the resort’s boat for their excursions, sadly there were no trips to the sandbar, and yes we could have booked this with an operator in town and pay double to price Namale charged, it was too much of a hassle to be bothered. Another disappointment was that in the bures, only the bedrooms were air conditioned. We were in Duavata, which was one of the largest and most expensive ones with multiple rooms inside, and it got quite warm inside the bure once we walked out of the bedroom. We also had a dining room in a separate hut, and inside that, there was no air conditioning at all. Except for walking through to go to the second bathroom, we were unable to utilize it at all because of the heat. We booked Duavata, which was way above our budget, and one of the reasons was because it had both inside and outside showers. Sadly for the first 2 days, there was no hot water in either of the 2 outdoor showers, and when we spoke to the ladies at the front desk, they informed us that those showers were unheated. This was a tremendous disappointment to us both. However, when I spoke to Nowdla, the general manager, she informed us that the showers would be fixed immediately and we would indeed have the hot water we required. Sadly only one shower was able to be repaired, with the second one requiring new equipment which would not arrive until after our departure. One has to question why the showers were not tested and repaired prior to our arrival. Duavata needs some love and updating, and the ants can be a bit of a nuisance. The food was far from 5 star, and during the first few days, it was barely adequate. The picnic and room service menus needs much more expanding and offers limited choices. However after speaking to Nowdla, the general manager, she set up a consultation between the chef and us, and the result was that it was vastly improved. Do not hesitate to speak up and let the staff know about ANYTHING which is lacking or that you desire because they will accommodate you in any way they possibly can. You want lobster, they will get it for you. When we voiced that we loved the mud crabs with a sweet chili sauce, the chef made it for us again, with the original recipe which was fabulous, but also with a special Fijian preparation which the ladies in the dining room recommended. Likewise, the bartenders Kevin and Errol made our favorite cocktails to accompany it all. In fact before we departed, the recipes we loved were printed up for us and mason jars were filled and sealed for us to ta